7" SPOTLIGHT - Boilerman - Bright Young Things

It's been a very long time chuggers. Roblet is keeping this thing going, which I'm grateful for. Life has been full of changes lately, including a lack of internet for the most part. So here I briefly offer you a 7" spotlight on an awesome band from Chicago (I think) that are just playing downright good ol' pop punk jams. Four songs, none longer than 2 minutes, and you'll find yourself playing it over and over again. This is definitely one of my favorite pop punk records in my entire collection. So download, jam out, and buy their shit or see them when they are playing in your town! They just did a tour not too long ago and I regrettably missed their D.C. date.

Peace.

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Bright Young Things (2010)

7 INCH SPOTLIGHT: JAWBREAKER - BUSY

Well, it's been a really fucking long time since I've uploaded anything to this blog. I have to say thank you to Robbie for keeping up with this so well. Shit's been a little crazy to say the least.

I'll be easing myself back into the flow of posting with this little gem, which I was lucky enough to stumble upon at Mystery Train Records in Amherst, Massachusetts just this Wednesday, actually.

This record was actually pressed on a whoooole bunch of different color combinations, in regards to the vinyl itself as well as the color of the cover and band's logo. My copy is on black vinyl and with black art and green text, one of the original approximately 1500 or so that seemed to be pressed. There were several later pressings as well, from what I understand.

Jawbreaker's Busy 7" dropped in '89, the year before their debut LP Unfun, would be released. The title track of this 7" would also be featured on that LP, but the b-side, "Equalized," would remain a vinyl only track until the release of the band's b-side collection Etc.

The band certainly deserves their status as one of the seminal bands of their day, and this 7" showcases their brooding, visceral approach to punk. It seems strange to think that Unfun was released over 20 years ago, as it still seems to fresh every time I take it out and spin it (the 20th anniversary remaster souunds amazing, try to find one if you haven't yet!). Jawbreaker continues to influence and excite kids all over the world. There seems to be at least one kid in a bootleg Jawbreaker t-shirt at any punk show you go to anymore. You know the one I'm talking about, with the Morton Salt girl on it.

Anyway, check out this great record from this great band. Hopefully records like this will never die and always sound as relevant as they still do to some of us right now.

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Busy (1989)

7" SPOTLIGHT #2: Two Headed Coin (Lincoln/Hoover Split 7")

Lincoln


Hoover



So, after pretty much ignoring this blog (and the entirety of the internet as a whole for the past few months) I've finally mustered up the energy to do another one of my 7" spotlight posts. Thankfully Robbie has been keeping this blog afloat while I've been wanking off for the past few months.

This split 7", along with a select few others, seems to have reached an almost legendary status within the punk subculture. It seems to be posted on just about every blog (like this one) at all interested in the punk subculture of the 90's.

The fact that both bands existed for only a short time - Hoover from '92-'94 with a brief union in '98, and Lincoln from basically '93-'94, as well as the fact that the record was released Art Monk Construction, a fairly obscure label that featured early output from bands such as Kerosene 454, Darkest Hour, Frodus, and Texas is the Reason, seems only to add the allure that has grown around this record.

Both bands emerged within the hardcore landscape in an era in the D.C. punk scene where bands like Bad Brains and Minor Threat had given way to Rites of Spring, Embrace, One Last Wish, and, eventually, Fugazi. Dischord Records put out Hoover's LP, The Lurid Traversal of Route 7, which has become a staple in any post-hardcore or emo collection. Lincoln, from the small, industrial state of West Virginia, namely Morgantown, a short drive from the state capital Charleston (and actually only a few hours where both your humble blog writers grew up) was very much a reaction to the D.C. punk scene which they must have had a close eye on. With over-driven octave chords and raw vocals they complimented Hoover's brooding, minimalist, yet epic approach on "Two Down". both bands helped pave the way for post-hardcore and screamo band into the latter part of the decade and continue to influence bands into the 21st century.

This record is definitely a must have in any collection, and is one of my favorite 7"s. Download everything else these bands recorded.

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Two Headed Coin Split (1993)

7" INCH SPLOTLIGHT: Shotmaker/Watershed Split (1994)

This will be the first post of a brand new feature I'll be doing here on Chug Life, called 7" Inch Spotlight. Basically, I'll be picking and reviewing a 7" from my own personal collection. I think these posts will be fun for me to write and also break up the sometimes monotonous full discography posts we do sometimes.

Punk, being the completely ass-backwards genre that it usually is, has become perhaps almost as unequivocally associated with the media form of vinyl records as peanut butter has become perpetually paired with jelly.

Match this with the fact that punk is a relatively small subculture, (although it's forays into the nether regions of pop culture only continue to become more prevalent as the genre itself gets a little more aged with every passing year), as well as the fact that it is, actually, still very young: whether you say '74, or '77, (or even earlier), punk has really only been around four about 35 years or so, and you might be able to get a better idea of the vinyl collecting hobbyists that are just as diehard and nerdy as your fanatical stamp or baseball card collector.

The fetishist culture that has arisen around collecting punk records has created a situation that has indelibly helped the art form survive as well as retain it's aesthetic core values. Vinyl is often held up on a pedestal, as some sort of monument to the ideal of purity and elitism that sometimes can beget an unfortunate image of the concept of punk music (which more often than not is embodied by that one shitty quasi-intellectual snobby douche bag at the show...there's at least one in every scene). However, vinyl also reflects some of the more positive and heralded aspects of punk. The concept of DIY, as well as a widespread tradition of continuing to release material on vinyl (and other dead formats) despite the rise of CD-ROM and mp3 technologies, and the attention to detail that is often associated with many band's vinyl output in terms of liner notes and artwork are all certainly recognized by many to be some of the most pleasurable and nostalgic aspects of being involved in punk culture.

And, more than probably any era, the late '80's and early '90's have come to embody the golden age of obscure, limited edition vinyl releases and handcrafted DIY workmanship. Maybe that's why I decided to start my feature with the Shotmaker/Watershed split, because it comes from and is a great example of DIY culture in that very same era; from the chunky guitars and iconic 90's emocore vocals to the obligatory black and white antique photograph and photocopied zine featuring a rant on DIY, apparently from the runner of the record label that put out this gem, Vital Communications. Let's face it, it pretty much screams 90's emo.

Shotmaker's side of the split does not disappoint, and is pretty much in line with the rest of their fortunately rather sizable discography. Chunky guitars, grimy bass, and precise drums form the band's relentless and influential sound.

"Selector" rolls right along with a tight, groovy feel and the bare-bones screamed/sung vocal approach that helps make Shotmaker such an intense, interesting band to listen to. And the trademark palm mutes are back once again on "Public Eye Opinion," that features one of the band's most melodic choruses without losing any of their heaviness and gritty approach. It's splits exactly like this one that helped make Shotmaker one of the more well known bands to emerge from the era and enjoy continued popularity due to the rise of download and blog culture.

Watershed, although clearly the far more obscure band featured on the split, is certainly not to be ignored. Their side of the 7" is an amazing emo gem, and honestly holds up just as well as, if not better than many of other early 90's groups that are more well known due to having put out game-changing records or touring extensively. It's bands like these that makes colecting hardcore and emo records so rewarding. I bought this split purely for the Shotmaker side, and was very pleasently surprised when I flipped the record over and listened to Watershed's offerings.

The first song, "Eyes," starts off with a sound clip featuring someone, presumably a doctor in a promotional or educational video, promoting the use of morphine on medical patients playing over a heady, slow guitar riff that sounds almost ahead of its time. The vocals were maybe the most surprising thing about the band for me. They don't necessarily sound like every other band from the era. They're raised high in the mix, and are incredibly melodic when they're being sung, as they are for the first half of this song. This mesmerizing melodic part gives way to a breakdown that conjures up images of 90's heavyweights like Indian Summer, Lincoln, or Moss Icon, and displays are more raw and desperate vocal style.

That sound carries over into "Stand Alone," which relies heavily on a cut-up, stop and start structure that's balanced wonderfully by a chorus you'll find yourself bobbing your head along to.

Unfortunately, the only thing I really know about Watershed is that they were presumably from Canada and this was apparently their only recorded material as a band.



Check out this great French blog too see nice picture of all the inserts and cover art for this release, including the Vital Communications zine that came as an insert in these seven inches.

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Shotmaker/Watershed Split 7" (1994)